Pumpkin Sunrise

Happy New Year!  Usually I have great difficulty writing the new year on documents but '2020' is so easy.  This bodes well for how great the new year will be.  My house is de-decorated and everything is back to the way it used to be.  I love January and how 'fresh' the month feels.  New planners, new plans, new goals or (non-goals) and brushing off a dusty old year. As you know, I do not pick a word for the year, I just can't boil down to a word.  Also I usually have a litany of goals for the new year. Among them:  menu plan - exercise more -  eat more fruits and vegetables - read more - knit more.  Well you get the idea, I pick a myriad of goals some I achieve and some I do not.  This year my goal is to document my creative days in a daily planner.  I was in Barnes and Noble and impulsively bought a daily planner and the idea hit me:  Oh, I could track my creative days and see what I accomplish.  I've tried bullet journalling in the past and it

I have to be honest with you, I've been on a knitting creativity surge.  For many months my knitting has been sparse, I'll blame it on the summer season.  In the summer I knit the least amount.  Maybe because I'm busy being outside, or maybe because knitting with wool isn't as much fun when I'm hot.  Or maybe there is no reason.  I'm learning that my creativity ebbs and flows.  I am floating at the edge of a wave enjoying where ever the wave takes me.  Right now, the knitting urge is rampant.  'Strike while the iron is hot' is my mentality. I've never been one to be upset when I start a bunch of projects.  How lovely to see an array of project choices when I sit down to knit.  My maximum amount of projects on the needles is five.  Over five and then the fun seems to end in my mind. I saw a lovely mitt pattern trending on Ravelry and quickly dug through my minimally processed, hand spun wools to make ME a pair of fingerless mitts.  The ea

Imagine me with a look of despair, I'm wilting from the heatwave that hasn't really even started.  My hair has gone wild with the humidity.  Truly I strive to not wish a season away but what I dislike most about summer is the heat and humidity.  We've only started summer!  Oh look, me grumbling away.  While I talk about my creativity challenges I'll be sharing with you some new garden photos.  I find them very pretty to look at inside a cool AC house. My watercoloring has been challenging.  I've been frustrated with so many aspects and my knee gut response is to not paint.  How sad.  Every stroke, every wrong color choice is a learning opportunity.  I know that and yet every single thing I paint I want to look perfect.  Being a perfectionist is not much fun.  At the end of a painting session I sit and think about what have I learned.  Sometimes this helps me center or balance my thoughts, my internal dialogue and yes the harsh criticisms.  This simple ha

Early spring is difficult for me to capture through a camera lens.  I've been outside twice trying and I've learned that different lenses lend to different captures.  I love learning. No matter what the temperature is outside, it looks like spring and that is enough for me.  Fresh leaves are sprouting and every day is a new development.  I adore the green sheen along the roadways as I drive.  Spring has sprung!  I keep circling back to thinking about making each day the best day ever.  How do I do it?  Well it's a splattering of a few things.  Of course, I have to do certain chores every day.  I try to do them as soon as possible so that the rest of the day can be free.  I tend to usually go to the grocery store on a gym day (ugh), however, I've been stopping at the grocery store on my home after a work day.  My oh my has this freed up time on the gym days.  I guess I consider grocery shopping as work...which it is for me.  As you know I knit every s

This week I've focused on my creativity and making myself show up.  Do you do this?  As you know, I read each and every single one of your comments and try my best to visit your space if you have one.  Some of you are avid knitters and some of you are wannabes.  Some of you are creative and some of you want to be creative.  All of us have felt something along the creativity spectrum and this is what I want to talk about. Part of being creative is setting intentions.  I have set many goals for myself - rarely do I carry them out immediately.  I have sat on writing goals for more than a year before I wrote on a blank page.  I've done the same with spiritual intentions, knitting aspirations and lately sketching intentions. For a year I've wished to draw and yet did not DO it,  I thought about it, dreamed about it and fantasized about it.  I've learned this is my creative process.  It's the beginning of something wonderful. Some of you wish to be knitters.

This is not my dog!  However, he is at the babysitting job and I do love him so and he loves me.  Whenever I arrive, he whines for me to let him out of his cage (which I do!).  I give him time to 'get his wiggles out' as he runs about looking for mischief. He is a Papillon and is a lap dog.  I definitely could be a lap dog in a previous life I think, sit and get petted, sounds great. The terrible twos seem to be giving way to wonderful threes (in April).  There are some temper tantrums but I give her lots of sympathy----'I know you are angry but let's think of something else instead'.  It works most of the time.  My little toddler girl that I babysit now has emerging imagination play and I'm all for that.  Our toy cows fly through the air and make friends with the toy pigs who fly as well.  We sing 'cockledoodledo' as long as we can and giggle over the tandem voices.  She dances and sings.  She also is funny.  I drank all of my hot tea and said it

I would mark this weekend as the perfect weekend ever.  Let me tell you all about it! The weather was fantastic.  Low humidity, somewhat sunny skies, a distinct chill in the air and yes, the heat is on instead of the AC.  Also, the new heat pump is pretty awesome.  I'm gaining understanding that this new system is variable, that means it's magical and can tell what I think is comfortable. Also because of the new system, we both realize how crappy the 16 year old system was performing.  Now to see if there is a slight reduction in my electric bill, I can dream. I walked two days in a row, with a fleece jacket......and a woolen hat!  I told you this weekend was a banner weekend.  I did a little knitting, a little reading and I also did some sketching.  A tiny bit but those baby steps will lead to something bigger. Thank you for telling me about your creative processes and what you learn.  I've learned I'm not alone and there is no right way about it.  I